How to Improve Your Local Rankings on Google – Dominate your Niche!
Sept 21, 2021
With Google, you can find local search results for what you’re looking for right from your phone! You can also improve your rank on Google, as we’ll explain in this article.
Understand How Google Ranks Local Results
The first thing you need to know is that Google is using a ranking system, which means that the Google search engine looks for how good a web page is for a given query and will rank that web page higher or lower based on the quality of that web page. If the search engine finds a web page with the best quality on a given topic, it will rank that web page higher in the search results. Similarly, if the search engine finds a web page with the worst quality on a given topic, it will rank that web page lower in the search results. The quality of a web page is determined by how much information the page provides in relation to the query. In other words, the more information on a given topic the page provides, the higher the quality of the web page will be.
Improve your business’s online presence
As with other types of local search, results for local search require people to go to Google.com and search for your business. At the top of that search, Google presents local results, a much broader pool of businesses than just the few local businesses you can find on Google Maps and Search. With local results, you need to be as informative as possible, and fill in any important details Google has about your business. If you’re not on Google Places, you’ll want to make sure your location info and current address are correct. Even if you have a local presence, it can’t hurt to get more people in the neighborhood knowing about you. People often check online directories, like YellowPages.com and yelp.com.
Increase visibility for your business
As a small business, it’s crucial to get as much visibility as possible so that people will be exposed to your content when they search. Google will use factors such as your domain authority, keywords and your URL to determine your local rankings. Remember to always use your current domain as well as your address as often as possible, or the local listings will find you. You need to ensure that your website is easily found on search results, and there are two ways you can achieve that: Use a reputable domain. Make sure your domain and URL don’t conflict. Practice lead generation for your business Lead generation is the process of obtaining new customers who would be likely to purchase your products and services.
Use the right keywords
This is one of the first ways you can improve your local ranking. If you don’t know what the local keywords are, you have to either do a Google search or ask a local friend. You can use the phrase and try to find a local business that could fit it better. When you do the search, the first results are from the big search engines. As you can see, most of the local businesses listed are big chain restaurants. Even if they are popular among your community, they aren’t likely to be noticed if you use the right keywords. The keywords must be specific to your local area. Also, the more specific the phrase, the better it is for your local search. You should only use three or four words, because search engines take that into consideration.
Keep up to date with Google algorithm changes
When Google updates their algorithm, your local results may appear in places that you didn’t expect, like different SERPs, or entirely different search results. For example, Google announced a few months ago that it’s testing results in a local: driving directions area, which helps you find local listings and nearby businesses. This change will benefit a lot of businesses that provide driving directions. When we published a post on how to buy plane tickets using Google Maps and your computer (Google Chrome) in May, we had to read about the change of Google Maps to Local Results. This article explains how to beat local results in Google Maps.
Get reviews from customers
Gather feedback and reviews from your current and potential customers. Go around the businesses that you’re currently working with and ask them about their experiences with the owner. You can ask them to either write a review or review an experience. However, before asking for a review, make sure that they are happy with the service they got. And if they are not happy, then let them know that you’re happy to get the review or their feedback and that you will do everything to improve their experience next time. Converse with local directories Your local directory directory is an online listing of businesses in your community. The directory will link businesses to you. You can use them as sources of businesses that are nearby you.
Conclusion
With a little effort, you can easily take your business or place to the next level and get higher search rankings. You don’t need to waste time learning complicated SEO tactics or implement complex link building strategies to make it happen, however, you do need to take advantage of the one feature Google does have – Local Search. It can be the difference between your business seeing a few hundred visitors per month and millions of them each month.